This should have been a launch game on Wii U; just imagine the 2 & 1/2 years worth of creator content that could have been available right now. It could have single-handedly shown the value of the Gamepad and shown the Wii U as a bold new way to game with Nintendo. I appreciate that it comes out now ... but cannot help but feel its impact today is far less than what it could - should - have been.

These comments pain me. Some of the most creative and unique games I've ever played were those created by small studios - like most of those that populated the XBLIG section on the Xbox 360 - that were able to take ideas that perhaps lacked big commercial viability and bring them to a console. Is there any demand to see a $60 quadcopter simulator? Probably not, and if big publishers had their way that would mean we would NEVER see a quadcopter simulator at all. This developer has taken a niche idea and found a way to challenge the player with a set of interesting and perhaps-absurd (not enough humor in most games, is there?) activities. The fact that this dev has found a better use than the Gamepad than even Nintendo validates the effort put into it. I can't wait to tax my limited piloting skills, and (hopefully) improve with practice. Isn't that why we game in the first place?

@Chaoz Louisiana doesn't have much happening either. There is, however, a Streetpass group from New Orleans that evidently meets up from time-to-time. Full props to this article for compelling me to look it up!

The lack of voice chat probably neuters its chances with the masses, but I do think it will be a very solid - and indubitably much-loved - addition to the Nintendo stable. Now if only Nintendo would delve back into the realm of RTS or dip its toes into the MOBA/MMORPG genres.

Lots of good games on that list. Shutshimi will catch a lot of people by surprise; it's a really neat scrolling side-shooter about an armored fish with a short attention span. Glad to see Hex Heroes on that list, too. A bit disappointed, though, that SteamWorld Heist is just for 3DS (at least at this time).

Please Nintendo, just be absolutely certain to provide in-game chat for the new multiplayer games. Splatoon will be hysterically awesome if they do this. Without it? A fun but limited online community. Nintendo needs to recognize that many gamers don't have the active couch co-op that they used to.

And I'm hoping Devil's Third embraces the silly and over-the-top it seems to. The (console) FPS genre could use a shaking up.

I think the indisputable fact - and a uniquely Nintendo one, too - is that RCMadiax engages his audience on Miiverse and social media in a way that is encouraging and refreshing. Would we be that lucky that all devs, whether big or small, would do the same.

And some of those quickly played dice games have a surprising amount of strategy in them (the Poker part!).

XBLIG is chockfull of wonderful gaming experiences that were $1. I'd be quite happy to have Nintendo emulate the best elements from XBLIG, even if it means we have to take some of the worst parts as well. And RCMADIAX' games aren't anywhere close to being bad. Every game should be judged on its own merits rather than some fear to what it may lead to.

I've enjoyed a few of RCMADIAX's games. It is a bit unfair to label them as "lemons" with the implication that the game is not as described or fails to function properly; they are simple games that are easy to pick up and play (like many mobile games) with some competitive fire to them. There is a market for that type of game - otherwise he wouldn't release them! - and if there are concerns that the Nintendo market would be flooded by them (ala IOS) those are upon Nintendo and their consumers to act upon. The simple fact is that they represent to many people entertaining value for their cost. And Poker Dice Solitaire had some surprising strategic depth to it, if you were trying to get a perfect score.

I went to multiple sales outlets on Friday - the release day here - and NONE of them had the adapter in stock. Most disappointing, but I'll wait for their restock to show up. The game is perfectly playable via the other controller methods, and I wanted it mostly so I could use my 10 year old GC controller a few last times (if it even works anymore!).

Nice way to simultaneously encourage and profit off of Wii owners "upgrading" to Wii U's, which is clearly the expectation here. For Skylanders players like me and my kids, this is a very good deal. I still play games on the Wii, and this would allow us to play the same game with our characters on different consoles and different tvs but at one price. I like it.

@Action51 I agree, the Gamepad alone can swing my purchase from a different console to the Wii U (love the off-TV play!); I also wish that devs spent a little more effort differentiating their game for Wii U and utilizing its unique features more thoroughly. It sounds as if these devs tried but I fear - as the review score indicates - they came up a bit short.

It's great to see it finally pop up on the Wii U eShop, but it is rather disappointing - although entirely understood why - that it is 75% off on Steam right now. If the choice is to pay $4 or $15 to play what is basically the same game, why would I volunteer to pay more?

No Nano Assault Neo? I'll not quibble with the selections here as they are all competent-to-exceptional games, but to overlook the BEST Wii U eShop launch game is harsh. It is symptomatic of the disappointment with the Wii U that 5 of these games are ports, remixes, or re-releases. At least Nano Assault Neo was new.

I've got a big enough back catalogue of games to tackle already, but this looks a pick up just as soon as I have the time to play it. Slowly but surely the Wii U is getting "choices" for its gamers to pick from.

If the soundtrack and gameplay are HALF as good as that trailer this is a must-buy for me. The palette seems heavily influenced by Pixel.Junk, but that is a just fine by me … it looks bold and stylish and very well executed. Hopefully there is enough diversity in the world to give the gameplay some depth.

Name-dropping Warning Forever is the quickest way to guarantee I buy this game. One of my favorite XBLIG titles (Infinity Danger) is similar with procedurally-generated endless boss levels (and equally owes a deep debt to Warning Forever). I do hope the price point for XType Plus is similar to those games on XBLIG/PSN Minis. I also hope that Nintendo advertises games in much better manner, though. Great - and informative - interview!

This reminds me of an XBLIG-type title, which is fantastic news, in my opinion. Some of the best values Microsoft offered on the XBOX 360 were XBLIG (Indie) titles priced at the $1 price point, and if this is the beginning of a similar scene on the eShop things are bright indeed. The presence of a real leader board is even an improvement over XBLIG titles! The more of these small independent titles - particularly at a low-risk price - the better. And this will be a day-one buy for me as I actually enjoy tower defense games, which is a niche that Nintendo sadly hasn't bothered to exploit yet on the Wii U.

Really great video segments above that perfectly illustrate the FAMILY gaming ethos; very well done and quite convincing, for me, of the quality of Wii Party U. Maybe I'm just getting older, or maybe just more parental ... but this title really excites me about gaming together with my kids.

My family enjoyed the first two Skylanders' games immensely; we picked this one up last weekend and I am happy to say EA has again crafted a great and very playable game. The figure collecting can be a bit over-the-top, but the graphics, music, and memorable bits floating about in the gameplay really make this loads of fun.

Well done all! It looks like loads of fun; my 6 year old son would have loved to participate in something like this (although he would have struggled with the Xbox controller rather than the Wii U gamepad), and it is always neat to see gaming as a family event. But I have to admit that James' dad's shirt is perhaps the most awesome sighting in the video.

It may be a kids game, much like Scooby Doo is a kids show ... but I'll keep enjoying both. That having been said, this one may be a Skylanders game too far, seeing as they are releasing one every year and the eventual cost is much higher than just a game on disc.

I'll agree that the investment in DKC:TF appears predictable and unexciting, and the game may very well re-use assets from his Wii entry, but it still looks GOOD. One significant advantage over other publishers that Nintendo consistently generates is solid gameplay and re-playability. DKC:TF doesn't have to be mind-blowingly creative to achieve that. We may be wanting a bit too much from Retro (even Naughty Dog spit out three Uncharteds that were pretty similar!) to expect mind-blowing innovation from every title; we may want more, sometimes what we want and what we need are two very different things.

MH3U on the Wii U, Uncharted 2 for my brand-new PS3 (just got one this week!) and some more Forza Horizon on Xbox. I have to play my non-Nintendo consoles more since my kids discovered Skylanders Giants on my Wii U.

It is lots of fun; I've used it to look at off-street parking spaces in uptown New Orleans, to see an intersection and determine one-way street directions, AND to see my house! It was pretty cool to see my then-new car parked in my driveway.

If this game encourages someone to take up hunting, they will be sorely disappointed that real hunting has absolutely nothing in common with how it is presented here. If that is Cabela's hook, they are a better advertisement against hunting than we could have ever wished. I would never dream of entering the wild to blast helpless animals away, but I do enjoy it in video games. Does that make me a hunting supporter by proxy?

I would like to see Cabela issue a game similar to Wild Earth: African Safari, where the hunting is limited to photographic stalking. Cabela's does put out some pretty games with decent animal animations, and it would be great to play a photo game that takes advantage of it.